preschools/primary schools in Bristol

[wheelie69]

I am moving to Bristol area in September, hopefully to the redland/ clifton wood/hotwells area. My son is 3 in August, so I am looking for a pre-school and possibly a primary school in this area.
I think I have a place in hotwells pre-school but he will not be able to go to the primary school unless we live in catchment area.
We intend to rent initially,but have been told not to start looking for a property until July. Apparently there arent many properties around, so I have to take what comes up. Ideally I want him to go the same the same school for pre-school and primary education, so have to move to a suitable catchment area
Please Help

If you're moving this September, you should have an address in time to meet the October deadline for applying for reception places for September 2011. I think pretty much all the primary schools in the areas you mention are good, so as long as you find somewhere to live close to any of them, you should be OK. Redland is probably the toughest, as there are fewer primary schools around, and an awful lot of primary age children.

Hotwells is a lovely school, so if that's the one you want to go for, I would just find somewhere to rent as close as possible to the school (less than 500 metres radius, preferably less than 250m), even if it is not somewhere you would want to live long-term - as long as you can put up with it for a year or so. (If you have a choice, try to live on the Clifton side of Hotwells just in case, so your next closest school is Christ Church rather than somewhere harder to get to like Ashton Park.) Then once your son has started school you can look around for a better house/flat which doesn't have to be quite so close to the school. That's what I did when I had to move back here at short notice....

Thanks exexpat . Thats very helpful. I chose Hotwells as thats the only one that has been recommended. Thanks for the other recommendations.

By the way, it was announced this week that Christ Church (Clifton) is adding another 15 reception places from September, taking it up to 60, so that might give people from a slightly wider radius a better chance of a place. And if you are in that area and don't get a preschool place at Hotwells, there is an excellent Montessori preschool on York Gardens, which is very close.

Christ Church is a lovely primary, and quite a few of the children go on there from the Montessori pre-school.

just a heads up that it seems we will have more time to get the applications in for Sep 2011 start (January) with places not being given till April!

That doesn't give everyone very long to appeal and fight about it afterwards!

CHST - can I just ask where you heard that from? It has always been October deadline historically?

it is on the CYPS website for bristol.

www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/schools/admissions/pdf-11-12/admissions-coordinated-infan t-primary.pdf

under school admissions co ordinated scheme reception 2011-12 if the link doesn't work

doesn't give much time if you aren't satisfied with allocation!

Thanks for that. Wonder why the LA want to give themselves less time to sort out the inevitable mess....